She
by Szabotage
Summary: PGSM (Live Action) universe. The arrival of Dark Mercury disrupts the Shitennou. How will they react to an addition to their number? New chapter! Jadeite and Nephrite make a wager!
1. The New Girl

She

Chapter One

By Maria Szabo

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon. This is a work of fanfiction and the only profit being made is that of enjoyment.

"Did you see her?"

Jadeite's whispered question echoed off into the depths of the cavern. He had pulled Nephrite aside as soon as the red-headed general had gotten back from his latest mission, another exercise in futility, chasing that annoying princess and her mystical silver crystal.

"Her?" Nephrite blinked in confusion and irritably moved to push the younger general aside. The only woman he was interested in seeing right now was Queen Beryl and he was hoping she'd be in a good enough mood to excuse his latest failure.

Jadeite checked him. Although he was slender in build, he was stronger than he looked. "I'm talking about Kunzite's new toy, the one he presented to her Majesty."

This got Nephrite's attention. "Toy?"

"Mmmm. You remember. The 'interesting thing' he was talking about?"

"Ah." He did remember, vaguely. He'd put that down to some of Kunzite's endless bragging. The man was full of himself and never hesitated to let the rest of the Dark Kingdom know it. "So what was it? Some kind of youma?"

"A senshi."

"What?"

The blonde general's pale eyes gleamed in the satisfaction of having surprised his older compatriot. "Kunzite turned one of the Sailor Senshi. She's working for us now."

Nephrite bit his lip. He'd been so wrapped up in his mission that he'd barely paid attention to the movements of his rivals. Damn. He'd have to make up for that now as well as placate Queen Beryl.

"How did he manage that?" He wasn't sure how much information Jadeite would share, but evidently, he was somewhat put out by the situation. Otherwise, he wouldn't have said anything at all.

Jadeite shrugged. "Not sure," he admitted, and lowered his voice even further, "and I'm not sure of the soundness of his plan. Beryl-sama didn't seem to take to the Senshi very well."

"Oh, ye of little faith."

The two conspirators turned at the sound of the mellow, amused voice, to behold Kunzite standing in the shadows, his newly-acquired Sailor Senshi at his side. The oldest of the Shitennou gave a trademark smirk, and his eyes went from one of them to another in bitter amusement.

Nephrite flushed angrily, and, as always, sought refuge in the attack. "What are you thinking, bringing in an enemy to the very heart of our operation?"

"She's one of us now. I believe you've met?" He set his hand at the small of the young woman's back and guided her forward gracefully. "But I'm sure you haven't been introduced. Mercury, these are two of my fellow Shitennou. Nephrite is the taller one who is scowling. Jadeite is the blonde."

"I'm pleased to meet you," she intoned, quite politely, her eyes twinkling with a slight hint of maliciousness. Her demeanor had changed a bit from when Nephrite had encountered her before—she was bolder, less hesitant, although he could hardly say that he knew her well, being that most of their encounters consisted of attacks and counter-attacks.

Jadeite, ever proper, inclined his head in a slight bow, his eyes lingering on the girl suspiciously. Nephrite contented himself with a quick glance and a curt nod and then returned to the point of the conversation.

"Kunzite, you didn't answer my question. What did you bring her here for?"

He gave him a look of long-suffering. "I'm going to use her to destroy the Sailor Senshi, idiot. Although other uses do come to mi…"

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here." Mercury bristled. She clenched her fists slowly, then released them. "Kunzite. You will not 'use' me for anything. I will take care of Sailor Moon and the others on my own. The rest of you can safely turn your attention to other matters."

Jadeite blinked. "Other matters?"

"Of course. Dealing with the Princess, obtaining the Crystal," her smile grew patronizing, "and there's always Tuxedo Mask to play with, if you get bored…"

Kunzite reached down and grabbed her wrist suddenly. "I think it's time we got you settled in."

"Wha…"

"Nephrite, Jadeite, you will excuse us, I'm sure?"

The two generals watched as he pulled the protesting Mercury down the hallway towards his quarters.

"She's a bit…." Jadeite shook his head in disbelief.

"More than a bit," Nephrite agreed, but his eyes held a spark of interest as they watched the others depart.

To be continued…


	2. In Her Place

She

Chapter 2

By Maria Szabo

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon. This is a work of fanfiction and the only profit being made is that of enjoyment.

Zoicite's quarters had a musty smell of disuse about them. It had been some time, Kunzite was told, since the second general of the Shitennou had disappeared during a fiery conflict with the Sailor Senshi. As Kunzite himself had not yet revived at the time, he was unsure of whether Zoicite's defeat had meant his death or a forced hiatus, such as he himself had been subject to only a short while before. Nephrite had witnessed the event, but when questioned, he had become rather vague, which led Kunzite to believe that Queen Beryl had been casting her mind-control spells again.

The grand piano dominated most of the central chamber. There were still pages of compositions scattered about, which confirmed Kunzite's belief that no one had been in the rooms since Zoicite's fall. Off to one side were his personal rooms, barely used. But it was in here that he found what he was looking for.

The bed was not much different from his own, except for the color scheme of silver, grey and white. He vaguely remembered seeing the room in the daylight, once long ago, teasing the dapper silver-haired general for taking so long over his morning dressing rituals. Zoicite had always been fastidious. The colors had a dreamy-like beauty to them then, but now, in the gloom of the Dark Kingdom, the room resembled a nest of shadows.

He laid her down, almost gently, on the grey sheets. Mercury had transformed to her human state when she had finally succumbed to exhaustion. He hesitated a moment, watching her, and then reached down to brush her dark hair out of her face. She had been difficult, much more difficult that he'd anticipated…

"Why? I was just beginning to have some fun!"

"You were beginning to anger them," He pulled her relentlessly down the hallway and she quickened her pace to keep up with his longer stride.

"So what if I was? They're weak."

"Don't flatter yourself. Nephrite and Jadeite are stronger than you think." His hand tightened its grasp around her arm and he pulled her in through a door. "Watch yourself around them."

"Where…?"

"My quarters." He let her go, abruptly, and gestured vaguely towards the few chairs in the room. "Make yourself comfortable. We need to talk."

Of course, she would not sit down immediately, he was amused to note, but stalked around the chamber suspiciously, peering at every object as if she were memorizing its position and use. She finally paused at the chess board.

"You like chess?" she asked, a note of surprise in her voice.

"Perhaps," he replied.

"Hmm."

She took a seat near the board and looked up at him expectantly.

"No," he said, "Not now."

"You say that a lot, don't you?"

A distant memory stirred in him, and something inside told him that she had said those words to him before, once, long ago. He suppressed it. What happened then had no bearing on what he was doing now. Mercury was convenient. He'd only chosen her because of that. He gave her a bitter laugh.

"It wasn't the right time then to kill your companions. It isn't the right time now to play chess. There is a proper time for everything. Wait for it."

"I had them."

"Not the Princess. Not Venus."

She fell silent. He watched her face carefully. Kunzite had suspected that the so-called "Princess Venus" was some sort of decoy, for she was too obvious in her hide-and-go-seek game, and although Moon came over as a complete simpleton, he believed that she was the one he was looking for. He had wondered whether the rest of the senshi were aware of the deception, but Mercury's face reflected nothing but annoyance.

"No. Venus was not there. Venus is never there. We are supposed to protect her but…"

"She doesn't want protection?"

Mercury snorted, delicately. "Obviously not."

"Interesting."

"That's fine with me. It'll make it easier to isolate her."

"Leave her to the others."

"And why is that?"

"You're closer to Moon, aren't you?" He raised an eyebrow, until she nodded. "It'll be easier to deal with her first, then. The 'Princess' can wait."

She seemed to ignore his sarcastic emphasis and that confirmed his suspicions that Mercury didn't know who the real Princess was. And if she didn't, it was very likely the other Senshi didn't either. His plan had a chance.

Mercury pitched over suddenly, her hand grasping at her forehead. He reached over to steady her. She pushed him away indignantly.

"What is it?"

"Nothing. It's…nothing. It's late." She shook her head, and for a second, her eyes appeared confused.

"Perhaps you should rest," he suggested softly.

She stiffened, and then nodded. "Yes. Maybe I should. Where?"

"There's room in my bed…"

Her glare burned him.

"…if you want. No?"

"No."

He smirked. "Your loss. We'll put you in Zoicite's quarters for now. Acceptable?"

Mercury muttered something in reply, but he could not make it out. Her weight shifted, and he realized he needed to get her down the hall before she fell unconscious. He wrapped an arm around her to help her up, and half-walked, half-carried the girl to what would be her temporary room. He could only pray the others didn't see it.

So much trouble, this girl. She'd better be worth it.

To be continued


	3. A Wagering Matter

She

By Maria Szabo

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: this is a work of fanfiction, and no profit is being made from it, save that of enjoyment.

They were waiting for him as he re-entered the Great Hall, Nephrite in attendance and Queen Beryl standing on her pedestal, like a garishly painted classical statue.

"My Queen," he murmured reverently, falling to one knee and placing his hand to his heart. "I have returned."

"Jadeite," her voice always seemed to radiate a fondness for him, something not afforded to the others. "Report."

"She wasn't there."

"What?" Nephrite's outburst was short and sharp. "But I saw…" He fell silent as Beryl turned to his direction and lifted one of her delicate eyebrows.

The Queen looked pleased with herself. "I knew it. Kunzite is, after all, still devoted to me." Her lips turned up in a perfect smile.

"As are we all," Jadeite replied smoothly, trying to catch her eye. He didn't succeed, but that didn't bother him. Beryl kept her gaze set on greater matters.

Nephrite seemed like he wanted to say something more, but was trying valiantly to keep his mouth shut. The blonde general found it all very amusing. That guy could never hide his feelings.

"So," Beryl asked, "where did he put her? He did not take her back, I know."

"Zoicite's quarters."

"Zoici..?" Beryl's face lit up with amusement. "Ah! He won't like that at all!"

"Zoicite's returned?" Their words, spoken not quite in unison, tumbled on top of each other, and Jadeite grimaced in distaste. He should have sensed it. He was the gatherer of secrets.

She gave them one of her smiles, the sort that made a man light up with desire, and looked away towards the chasm where Meteria's power radiated.

"Who can say?"

As she dismissed them both, Nephrite seemed bent on escape, but Jadeite wasn't about to let him go so easily. He'd tried that particular trick before.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" he asked, catching the red general's arm.

"Bastard!" Nephrite had a habit of suddenly turning on an unwary opponent and unleashing the full force of his attack. It worked very well in combat, and Jadeite had never quite gotten used to it, although he knew by now to expect it of him. "Showing me up in front of Queen Beryl! How dare you?"

He stepped back, but did not loosen the grip on the other man's arm. "You're the one who was tearing down Kunzite again…"

"So? You didn't need to bring up that other matter!"

Ah. That was it. Nephrite was embarrassed that Beryl found out about his suspicions. Why was that? It didn't matter, he supposed. He could still utilize that fact against him. "Beryl-sama found it very amusing…"

"That's not the point!"

"No, it isn't. The point is: I win. You lose. Pay up," he held out a hand gloved in immaculate white. "Mercury didn't stay in Kunzite's quarters."

"That doesn't mean that they didn't…" Nephrite was scowling and blushing at the same time.

"That wasn't the bet, though, was it?" Jadeite snapped his fingers. "Come on."

Nephrite muttered something under his breath, but reached into his pocket and pulled out five stones. He grudgingly deposited them, one by one, into the other general's hand.

"There. Hope you're satisfied."

Oh, he was. Jadeite watched Nephrite stalk into the gloom with a smile. Each of those stones was a youma, and this meant that he now had more youma in his control than any of the other Shitennou. This increased his position significantly. And diminished Nephrite's, which was even better.

"So nice to know you're thinking of me."

His smile faded as she came out of the darkness. Her face was a pleasant mask, but her eyes were cold, ice cold.

To Be Continued


End file.
